Invisibly-stitched seam and method of making same



'April7, 1925. 1,532,327

F. LU PPI N O INVISIBLE STITCHED SEAM AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME FiledJan. 14, 1924 //v way for.

Patented Apr. 7, 1925.

FRANK Lemme, or WATKINS, new YORK.

irrvrsretr-srrrennn SEAM AND memos or MAKING snare.

Application filed .Tanuary 1,4, 192

TOflZLLU /LOWL it may concern; V I Y Be it known that I, Fe mi; Lnrrinqacitizen of the United, States, residing at Watkins, in the county ct-Schuyler and State otNew York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in In isibly- Stitched Seams and Methods of Same, of whichthe following isa specificaonr This invention relates to an improyedseam fo'rjoining the edges of leather parts, or parts formed ofanalogous material, and the method of producingsiich seam. I

the manufacture of cert k nds goods, as for instance athletic boots orshoes which are sometimes termed ofrelatiyely heavy, soft lea-t 1e1 itis desirablethat some, at least, of the seams by which the parts of theshoe are joined, be as smooth and uniform as possible for the comfort ofthe wearer, and also that the stitches be protected from rough usage andconsequent breaking,which wou'l'd result in weakening andop ening of thescam. It should finderstood that seams formed accordance with thiscavemen may be used in the manufacture otother articles-or goods, andother materials having. the'characte'ristics of leather coiil dbeequally we-1ienpioyd,and the term leather fthi"oiighoiit thespecification and claims is ihtended to include such materials.

One object of the invention isto ""de an improved concealed stitclrseainfor j oi 'nmg together the edges of leather orthelike parts in which theedges be brought together and secured stitches which are entirelyconcealed bet we enthe faces of the material; also to so form the seamthat it will be flush withthe adjacent surfaces of the material, thusforming a neat and cornfortabl'e article, also the seam will be strongand durable and can be formed ina simple and practical manner. J

Another obec-t or: the invention is to im prove the methods ot-inakihgseams of the "sort mei'iti'on'e'd.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 a plan View Ora leather blanlit, from which a shoe upper is to beformed, and showing the same with a phirali ty of notches, the edges "ofwhich have been prepared for the reception of the stitching wherebythese edges are secured together to form the improved inyisibly stitchedseains by the method embodied in this invention.

vofan upper.

Serial no. 585,945.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan View of a portion thereof. p

F 3 is a similar view showing. the poi-- tion' of the blank after theconcealed stitches have been introduced and the edges of the partbreugl'it together thereby in producing t e m- Fig. 4: is a transversesection thereot'on Fig. 5 is a similar View on line 5 5, 3.

Fig. 6 is a similar View of the completed invisibl-y stitched: seam Forthe purpose of ilhistrating ,thepracti rl application of theinventionfiat blank 1%. of leather orthe likeris shown lathe drawings, which isadapted to b'epshap'edto term a onepiece upper for ashoe. The blank isformed with the usual ankle opener and is further provided with a numberof it-shaped notches or openings 10 around the edge, formed by cuttingaway small portions of the material. Thefopposite edges 11 of theopenings are adapted to be brought together so as to abut and be securedto form seams so that the blank- A will be shaped substantially in theform It should be understood, however, that, instead of the single pieceof leather shown, the upper could be formed of separate piecesjoicnedion lines extending inwardly from the angles of the notches,thereby enabling small pieces oi scrap leather to be utilized. 1

To form the *isibly stitched seam in accordance with the preferredembodiment of the intention, the leather adjacent the opposite edges llof each of the notches 10 is so prepared that stitches maybe taken. inthe body or substance or the leather, adjacent the edges 11 such thatwhen the edges are brought together so as to 'abut,,the stitches will beembedded orconcealed in the leather between the two faces 19, 12thereof. For this purpose,- shown clearly in :Figs. 2 and i, achannel'or oblique cut is made in one face offthe leather adjacent eachedge to be seamed, and preferably in such a way that the bottom 1% ofeach cut will be substantially parallel with and 'adjac en't the edge,and preferably midway between the faces 12, 12 s'ee Fi'g. 4. In this waya lap or tree portion is formed, the free edge of which is adapted to belifted to expose the bottom it tithe out. Thus a groove is formed, suchthat, if the edges 11 are now brought together so as to abut, they maybe secured together as by stitches 16, (see Figs. 3 and 5) in such a waythat these stitches will extend substantially parallel with the faces12, 12. As the bottoms 14E of the channels are readily accessible bylifting the flaps 15, the stitches 16 may be easily formed so as toextend back and forth from the bottom of one channel to the bottom ofthe other channel across the meeting edges 11. After the stitches 16have been made as described, the flaps 15 may be cemented or otherwisesecured in their original positions so as to lie flat and flush with theface of the leather in which the channels 13 are formed (see Fig. 6).When the flaps 15 have been so secured, the stitches 16 will beinvisible from either face 12 or 12 and as the edges 11 are drawntightly together the stitches will also be invisible at the finishedseam 17. Furthermore, as the stitches are entirely embedded in theleather between its two faces they will be protected from any surfacewear incident to the use of the parts or articles in which they areformed.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description that the invisiblystitched seam may be readily used to connect together any two or morepieces of leather or the like, having sufficient thickness to permit thechannels to be formed, and such that the stitches may be readilyextended through the leather between its faces. The seam describedprovides an economical and practical means of connection, wherebyleather parts, intended to be subjected to considerable wear, may bestrongly stitched, while the stitches are protected from the wear bybeing embedded between the faces of the leather.

1 claim as my invention:

1. In an invisibly stitched seam for connecting two parts of leather orthe like, an inclined channel adjacent the contacting portions of eachpart, said channels being formed so as to leave the contacting portionsuncut and the bottoms of said channels extending substantially parallelto the line of contact, stitches passing from the bottom of one channelto the bottom of the other channel and drawing said parts together, saidstitches extending away from the open ends of said channels through theuncut material of each part from the bottom of each channel towards thebottom of the opposite channel.

2. In an invisibly stitched seam for connecting two parts of leather orthe like, an inclined channel formed in the face of each part adjacentthe contacting portions of said parts, and stitches passing from thebottom of each channel to the bottom of the other channel in a directionaway from the open ends of said channels and through the uncutcontacting portions of said parts so as to draw said parts together,said stitches being thus concealed in the leather between the outerfaces of said parts.

3. In an invisibly stitched seam for connecting two parts of leather orthe like, an inclined channel adjacent the contacting portions of eachpart, a flap on one face of each of said parts formed by cutting saidchannels, stitches passing from the bottom of each channel to the bottomof the other channel and drawing said parts together, said flaps beingadapted to be secured to the portions from which they were out, aftersaid stitches have been made, to conceal said stitches in the leatherbetween the opposite faces of said parts and provide a seam which liesflush with said faces.

4. In an invisibly stitched seam for connecting two parts of leather orthe like and of substantially the same thickness, and having edges whichare adapted to abut, an inclined channel adjacent said edges formed inone face of each'of said parts, and stitches passing from the bottom ofeach channel to the bottom of the other channel to draw said abuttingedges together, said stitches extending through the uncut edge portionsof said parts between the faces of said parts.

5. In an invisibly stitched seam for connecting two parts of leather orthe like and of substantially the same thickness, and having edges whichare adapted to abut, an inclined channel adjacent each of said edges,the bottom of said channels extending substantially parallel to saidedges, a flap on a face of each part formed by cutting said channels,each of said flaps extending away from the adjacent edge of the part ofwhich it is a portion, and stitches extending from the bottom of eachchannel in a direction opposite to the flaps and passing to the bottomof the other channel through said. abutting edges and between theopposite faces of said parts, said flaps being adapted to be secured tothe portions from which they were cut to conceal said stitches, saidabutting edges and said flaps being so secured that said seam will beflush with the opposite faces of said connected parts,

6. The herein described method of forming an invisibly stitched seam forconnecting two parts of leather or the like, which consists in formingan inclined channel adjacent the contacting portions of each part and soas to leave a fiapextending away from the line of contact, and passingstitches from the bottom of one channel to the bottom of the otherchannel in a'direction away from the open ends of said channels so thatsaid stitches will extend through the uncut and contacting portions ofsaid parts, and then closing said channels,

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whereby said stitches are concealed in the material of said contactingparts between faces thereof.

7. The herein described method of forming an invisibly stitched seam forconnecting two parts of leather or the like and of substantially thesame thickness, and having edges which are adapted to abut, whichconsists in forming an inclined channel adjacent each of said abuttingedges so that the bottoms of the channels extend substantially parallelwith said abutting edges and lie in planes substantially midway betweenthe opposite faces of said parts, passing stitches from the bottom ofeach of said channels to the bottom of the other channel so that saidstitches extend substantially parallel with and between the oppositefaces of said )arts in a direction away from the open en s of saidchannels, and closing said channels to conceal said stitches in thematerial of said contacting parts.

FRANK LUPPINO.

